Appliance for marking dividing lines on cakes



Dec. 20, 1955 w. FRITSCHI 2,727,475

APPLIANCE FOR MARKING DIVIDING LINES ON CAKES Filed Oct. 20, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l 19 r-romvr y Dec. 20, 1955 w FR|TSCH| 2,727,475

APPLIANCE FOP. MARKING DIVIDING LINES ON CAKES Filed Oct. 20, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "II ll l 3 /ll IIIIIIIIII- mllfllllllllllllllmn IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'IIIIIIIIIIIII [FIIIEJ D 2 lhluin 3 IHIED 4L IFJIIEEu [E1 Wilhelm FRITSCHI INVENTOR.

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United States Patent APPLIANCE FOR MARKING DIVIDING LINES ON CAKES Wilhelm Fritschi, Zurich, Switzerland Application October 20, 1953, Serial No. 387,114

Claims priority, application Switzerland October 21, 1952 4 Claims. (Cl. 10747) The present invention relates to an appliance for marking dividing lines on cakes, that is, radial lines along which the cake is to be cut into pieces.

Appliances for this purpose are known, which have radially running lamellae or blades fixed to a. ring and projecting downwardly from the ring.

One such known appliance is required for each desired division, for example, into eight, ten, twelve, fourteen or sixteen parts. The whole set takes up a relatively great amount of room, and particular care must be exercised when looking for the appliance having the division required at the moment.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an appliance which is free from these drawbacks.

In accordance with the present invention, the above purpose is achieved by providing an appliance comprising a supporting frame, at least two groups of radially arranged marking'blades, each of the groups of blades being secured together by a related ring and radially dimensioned to fit within the supporting frame, a pair of tappets extending upwardly from each ring at diametrically opposed locations, guide means on .the frame through which the tappets slidably extend so that the related groups of marking blades are guided for movement relative to the frame between stored positions within the latter and operative positions projecting downwardly below the frame, springs yieldably urging the groups of marking blades to their stored positions, and knobs on the tappets which are manually actuable against the force of the related springs to displace the related group of blades to its operative position.

Further, the tappets of an appliance embodying this invention and corresponding to the ditferent groups of marking blades are preferably of different lengths to project different distances upwardly from the frame when the related marking blades are in their stored positions, thereby to facilitate manual actuation of the knobs while the appliance is supported from handles on the frame.

Another feature of an appliance embodying the present invention resides in the provision of at least three groups of marking blades, two of the groups having the same number of blades therein and spaced angularly by equal amounts, while the third group has a greater number of blades, the arrangement being such that the third group of blades and one of the first mentioned two groups of blades can be independently displaced to their operative positions for applying a corresponding number of markings to the top of a cake to be cut, while the other of the first mentioned two groups of blades, when displaced to its operative position, carries along with it said one of the first mentioned two groups, whereby a relatively large number of diiierent marking divisions can be obtained with a relatively small number of marking blades.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, an illustrative embodiment thereof is hereinafter described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

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Fig. 1 is atop plan view of an appliance embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 3-3 and showing a blade of one of the group of marking blades in the appliance of Figs. '1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view similar to Fig. 3, but taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and showing a blade of another of the groups of marking blades included in the appliance of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4, but showing a blade of still another group of marking blades;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4, but showing a blade of still another group of marking blades; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4, but showing a blade of a final groupof marking blades in the illustrated embodiment.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the appliance hasv a supporting ring 1 on which is fixed a carrier 2 extending diametrically across the ring. The carrier has two handles 3 thereon for holding the appliance. Within the supporting ring 1, fifty-two lamellae or marking blades 4 are arranged radially. Two sets or groups of eight of these lamellae, with the lamellae in each set degrees apart from each other, are each connected to rings 5 and 6 respectively, (Figs. 3 and 4) which are fixed to the upper edges of the related blades. Another set of ten lamellae, 36 degrees apart from each other, are connected to a ring 7 (Fig. 5). Twelve lamellae, 30 degrees apart from each other, are connected to a ring8 (Figs. 2 and 6). A ring 9 connects fourteen lamellae (Fig. 7) which are arranged approximately 27 degrees apart from each other. The several rings 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are of difierent diameters so that they may all be simultaneously disposed in a common flat plane (Fig. 2).

The lamellae of. each set or group, which are connected by a related ring, have recesses 10 in their upper edges to receive the rings of the other sets, so that the individual rings together with the lamellae 4 attached to them, can be pushed downwards in such a way that they project to a certain extent below the supporting ring 1, without bringing the other lamellae with them.

The ring 6 connectingtogether eight lamellae or blades F lies loosely on shoulders 11 of the other eight lamellae connected by the ring 5, so that, when the ring 6 is moved downwardly to lower the blades attached thereto, the ring acts upon the shoulders 11 of the blades on ring 5 and also lowers the latter.

On each of the rings 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 a pair of tappets 12 are fixed, which project upwards through the carrier 2 and are guided in a strip 13 fixed to the carrier. Each tappet 12 has at its upper end a knob 14 designated with a number. The numbers on the knobs 14 correspond to the number of lamellae which can be pressed downwards by actuating the pair of tappets assigned to them. Between the knobs 14 and the strip 13, compression springs 15 are arranged round the tappets 12, to urge the tappets upwardly and to keep the related lamellae 4 within the supporting ring 1.

The lengths of the tappets 12 differ by pairs, so that the knobs 14 of the successive rings 5, 7, 8, 9 and 6 are stepped with respect to each other.

In operating the above described appliance, the user grasps both handles 3 and, with his thumbs, then depresses the knobs at both sides of the center corresponding to the number of marking blades to be projected downwardly from the supporting ring.

For depressing or lowering eight lamellae 4, the knobs 14 marked 8 are pressed downwardly and the ring 5 is thereby lowered with respect to the supporting ring 1.

3 On actuating the knobs 14 marked 10, the ring 7 with the ten lamellae 4 attached to it moves downwards. By pressing on the knobs 14 on the ring 8, twelve lamellae 4 are moved downwards. In order to lower fourteen lamellae 4 to a position where they depend from the'supporting ring 1, the knobs 14 marked 14 are depressed.

The ring 6, connected to eight lamellae 4, rests on the shoulder 11 of the eight lamellae connected by the ring 5. On depressing the knobs 14 marked 16, sixteen lamellae 4 therefore move downwards.

With the desired number of lamellae corresponding to the number of pieces into which the cake is to be cut displaced downwardly from the ring 1, the appliance is centered on the cake and pressed bodily against the top of the latter so that radial marks are made on the cake. Thereafter, the cake is out along the radial marks previously formed in the top thereof.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1. An appliance for marking dividing lines on cakes and the like; comprising a supporting frame including a supporting ring and a carrier extending across said ring and having handles adjacent its ends by which the frame can be manually transported and positioned above a cake to be marked, at least two groups of radially arranged marking blades, each of said groups of blades being connected together by a related ring secured thereto, said blades being radially dimensioned to fit within said supporting ring of the frame, a pair of tappets extending upwardly from each ring securing together a group of said blades at diametrically opposed locations on the related ring, guide means on said carrier through which said tappets slidably extend so that the related groups of marking blades are guided for movement relative to said frame between stored positions within said supporting ring and operative positions projecting downwardly below said supporting ring, spring means yieldably urging each of said groups of blades to the stored position of the latter, and knobs on the upper ends of said tappets which are manually actuable against the force of said spring means to displace the related group of blades to its operative position, whereupon said frame can be moved downwardly against the top of a cake to cause the projecting group of blades to form corresponding markings in the cake top to serve as a guide when the cake is subsequently cut.

2. An appliance according to claim 1, wherein the pairs of tappets corresponding to the different groups of marking blades are of different lengths and project different distances above said supporting ring when the related groups of blades are disposed in said stored positions "knobs while said frame is being simultaneously supported at said handles.

3. An appliance according to claim 1, wherein at least three groups of marking blades are included and said rings securing together said groups of blades are of different diameters and are attached the related blades at the upper edges of the latter to lie in a common horizontal plane when the related groups of blades are disposed in said stored positions thereof; and wherein the blades of each of said groups have recesses in the upper edges thereof registering radially with the rings securing together the blades of at least certain of the other groups so that any of said certain other groups can be displaced to their operative positions without causing corresponding displacement of the remainder of said groups.

4. An appliance according to claim 1, wherein at least three groups of marking blades are included, two of said groups having the same number of blades therein with the same angular spacing between the blades in said two groups and with the blades of one of said two groups bisecting the angles between the blades in the other of said two groups, the third of said three groups having a greater number of marking blades therein than each of said two groups, said rings securing together the blades of said three groups having different diameters and being attached to the blades of the related group at the top edges of the blades; and wherein each of the blades in said third group and in said one of the two groups has a recess in its upper edge registering radially with the rings securing together the blades of the remainder of the groups, and each of said blades in said other of the two groups has a recess in its upper edge registering radially with the ring securing together the blades of said third group and a shoulder on its upper edge registering radially with the ring securing together the blades of said one of the two groups so that said third group and said other of the two groups of blades can be independently displaced to the operative positions thereof, while the ring of said one of the two groups of blades bears against said shoulders of said other of the two groups of blades to displace the latter to its operative position during the displacement of said one of the two groups of blades to the operative position of the latter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,519,752 Bannister Dec. 16, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS 77,487 Austria Nov. 15, 1918 163,537 Germany Mar. 11, 1905 

